Episode 51 marks the one-year anniversary of the essential boomer podcast and in honor of the of this I’m bringing back the guest who started it all for me back in episode one, Paul Zavagno.
Paul is an educator, a retired school principal, a great humanitarian and a certified facilitator of the work of Byron Katie and he is my life-long friend. So in this episode we do a deep-dive into Paul’s actual coaching practice.
In the interview Paul answers the following questions:
- Can you tell us the story of how you were attracted to this particular practice of life coaching?
- Will you tell us the story of how Byron Katy came to create this method of life coaching?
- It seems that this work, like a lot of great teachings is built upon a very simple basic structure. Do you think that that contributes to its effectiveness?
- Was Byron Katie influenced by Buddhism in creating The Work?
- What does a typical coaching session look like?
- Are there any benefits of this type of coaching for people who are suffering from chronic physical issues?
- Does this type of work would lend itself well for people facing the ends of their lives such as in hospice?
- Do you have any final words of advice that you’d like to share with your fellow boomers?
Paul Zavagno's Contact Info:
CLICK HERE to go to Paul's coaching website
CLICK HERE to email Paul
Follow Paul on Twitter
CLICK HERE for more information on the work of Byron Katie.
Paul is a board member of the Infinity foundation
Paul is also very active with the organization, Habitat for Humanity.
In episode #50, I’m very pleased to present part II of my conversation with Mel Friedman, Doctor of Osteopathy. In this episode Mel, as he likes to be called, shares his spiritual beliefs and how he applies these beliefs to his recipe for a healthy lifestyle. If you haven’t heard Part I of this interview with Mel, then I strongly encourage you to listen to episode 49 before listening to this one. In part I, Mel talks extensively about medicine, healing and his practice of osteopathy.
In Part II Mel answers the following
questions:
• What do you think happens to our spirits when we
die?
• What is your recipe for a healthy
lifestyle?
• Do you have any final advice for us boomers who may
benefit from osteopathy, yet are reticent to come to
you?
• Where is the best place for people to go for more
information AND how can somebody get in touch with you if they are
interested in your treatments?
CLICK HERE to contact Mel Friedman D.O.
CLICK HERE for information on the American Osteopathic Association.
CLICK HERE for information on the American Academy of Osteopathy, which is the branch of Osteopathy that utilizes hands-on therapy.
CLICK HERE for information on the Osteopathic Cranial Academy, of which Mel was a past president, and the branch of Osteopathy of which he identifies himself the most.
In episode 49, You will hear Part I of this 2 Part series in which I have a fascinating in-depth conversation with Mel Friedman D.O.. In it, Mel, as he likes to be called, gives us an intimate look into his heart, mind and the path he took from being a disillusioned family practice doctor to becoming a true healer. Mel talks in detail about osteopathy, life and death. I have never met a anybody like Mel.
In Part I of this 2-part series, Mel talks about his life crises as a traditional doctor and the events that led him to osteopathy.
Mel shares with us the different approaches to medicine that osteopathic doctors share compared to traditional doctors and the misconceptions that many people, INCLUDING osteopaths, have in regards to osteopathy. He also shares how his techniques and methods for healing, which were once the mainstay of osteopathy, yet now are only practiced by 1% of all osteopaths. Mel walks us through a typical session and shares his thought process as he is working with his patients.
This conversation with Mel certainly changed the way I look at health, medicine and healing. I think that you will love this interview. So sit back, relax and open your mind and your heart. You are in for a very special treat. Enjoy.
CLICK HERE to contact Mel Friedman D.O.
CLICK HERE for information on the American Osteopathic Association.
CLICK HERE for information on the American Academy of Osteopathy, which is the branch of Osteopathy that utilizes hands-on therapy.
CLICK HERE for information on the Osteopathic Cranial Academy, of which Mel was a past president, and the branch of Osteopathy of which he identifies himself the most.
In episode 48, I have Chris Roddell as my guest on the essential boomer. Chris is the author of Use All the Crayons! The Colorful Guide to Simple Human Happiness, the only self-improvement book graced with a cover endorsement by the legendary golfer & pitchman Arnold Palmer.
Chris is a fellow boomer who will do just about anything for a good story. His latest work is “The Last Baby Boomer: The Story of the Ultimate Ghoul Pool,” a story with a very intriguing premise, especially for us boomers. Or as he puts it, “It’s a coming of old, old age story. Because everyone has to die. But only one of us gets to die last.”
Chris talks about the following:
- Chris talks about The Last Baby Boomer: The Story of the Ultimate Ghoul Pool, and how you came up with the idea for it.
- Chris talks about his days with The Inquirer and shares stories about some of the lengths that he went through to get a good story.
- Chris talks about his blog Eight Days to Amish.
- Chris talks about how his spirituality has influenced his writings.
- Chris also talks about his childhood and the type of kid he was.
- Chris shares some of his bucket list.
- Chris talks about how he would like to be remembered.
- Chris share his advice for baby boomers who are aspiring writers.
CLICK HERE to go to Chris’s website - Eight Days to Amish
CLICK HERE to purchase The Last Baby Boomer: The Story of the Ultimate Ghoul Poolk
CLICK HERE to purchase Use All the Crayons! The Colorful Guide to Simple Human Happiness
CLICK HERE to contact Chris Rodell
I really appreciate your interest and support. Subscribing and leaving a review for my podcast is by far the best way to get it seen by more people. CLICK HERE to subscribe and/or to leave a review to THE ESSENTIAL BOOMER podcast on iTunes.
Thank you so much!
Jim Jensen
In episode 47 of The Essential Boomer, Jim Jensen talks about how to avoid being a victim of telephone scams.
While on vacation in Hawaii I hear the phone ringing in the condominium that we were renting. Naturally I pick up the phone.
“Hello (In thick Indian accent), I am calling from Microsoft Tech support and I’m calling about your computer.”
I instantly recognize that the call is a scam so I decide to have some fun…
“What about my computer?”
“I’m calling to inform you that we have detected a very dangerous virus on your computer’s hard-drive.”
“What? I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m sorry but I’m not very computer literate.”
“Yes, I understand. I will explain it to you. This is Microsoft Tech support and we have detected a virus in the boot sector of your computer. If you do not remove this virus immediately it will spread to your entire hard-drive and then corrupt your data and then crash your computer.”
“Oh no. This is terrible. I have all my personal and financial information on that computer. Can you help me?”
“Yes, I can help you right now. Is your computer on?”
“No, I’ll need to start it up. It may take a moment for It is very slow to start up because it is very old.”
“That’s okay, please boot up your computer.”
“You mean turn it on right?”
“Yes sir, I mean for you to turn on your computer.”
“Okay…but it’s located in the other room and as I said, it’s rather slow to start up so it may take a while.”
“That’s okay, go start up your computer right now and let me know when it’s ready.”
“Okay, hold on, I’ll be right back…”
I then put the speaker phone on and sit back to silently wait…After about a minute I hear him say…
“Hello, can you hear me?”
“Hello…?”
“Sir, can you hear me?”
“Sir…hello sir…are you there”
“hello?”
“sir can you hear me? Sir? Hello?”
“Hello? are you there sir? Hello?”
“Hello sir? Can you hear me? Sir?”
“Hello?...please pick up the phone sir…”
so I sense that he is getting very impatient so I finally pick the phone up….
“Yes, I’m still going to start up my computer.”
“Sir, why is it taking so long?”
“Because it’s in another room that isn’t close to the phone.”
“I understand sir. Tell me, How far is that room from the phone?”
“Oh, I’d say probably around 2,500 miles. You see, I’m on vacation and not at my house.”
“……….click…………..dial tone.”
This conversation actually happened earlier this week when we were away on vacation. Coincidently, I also received a call about a month ago at home. So If I’m getting this many calls from these scammers, I can only imagine how many of you are also receiving telephone calls from scammers.
First of all, I don’t want to in any way profile the people of India as scammers. That is simply not true. But it is also true that many of the telephone scams originate in India. It just goes to show you that there are a few bad eggs in every country.
I know that a lot of you are already hip to these scams and so this may be old news, but judging by how many of these I’ve been receiving there must be a whole lot of people out there still falling for them.
In fact, according to Truecaller, which is a worldwide telephone number look-up service, a little over 1 in 10 American adults lost money in phone scams in 2015. Which is over a 50% increase from 2014, so a lot of people are still falling for them…and these scams have cost 27 million Americans around $7.4 billion dollars.
27 million Americans! That’s a lot of people falling for these telephone scams. Who is falling for these scams? And why? What type of person is most likely to fall prey to a telephone scammer?
In her article, 10 Types of People Who Fall for Scams, Schemes and Cons, for MoneyTalksNews, Marilyn Lewis talks about the factors behind why various people are more likely to fall for scams than others.
In the paper she sites some findings from the AARP report, Caught in the Scammers Net. According to the report, it’s not just one group, like seniors, or women. There are actually many factors involved like the type of scam, such as the Microsoft tech support scam or the currently popular IRS scam.
So the 10 people mentioned in her article are:
1 - White males
White males are more likely to become victims of Investment fraud. This is because many white males are in the market for investments and therefore are more likely to fall for a bogus investment scheme
2 - Older adults
Yes, we boomers and seniors do get targeted more and are therefore victimized a lot. There are many factors that make us both more susceptible and less susceptible. I think that one of the big reasons that we’re so susceptible is that we are simply more likely to answer a ringing phone. There was a time when almost all telephone calls were important and it would be unconscionable to not answer the phone.
Us boomers and seniors weren’t raised with answering machines and caller ID. Try calling up your daughter or grandson and you will most likely end up in their voice mail. It’s almost like they have a phobia about talking on the phone. How many of you now have full length conversations with your kids or grandkids via siri and text messaging? Yea, I thought so.
3 - Younger People
but, just to make you feel better it’s actually younger people, particularly the male millennials that are most likely to be a victim of telephone scams. See, those wisdom of age has its place. Who knew?
4 – People living in Florida
According federal trade commission data, Florida is the number one state for consumer fraud complaints averaging about 1,000 per 100,000 residents. Yea, this makes sense too. We all know that there is a high senior population in Florida so the scammers focus on this state.
5 – the lonely
According to the AARP report 66% of the victims of scams feel lonely and isolated. This is why there is such a high percentage of fraud within dating sites. People are very vulnerable and want to believe that the person at the other end is prince charming and not Ralph the ripoff artist.
6 – The Internet
Marilyn also talks about how many people who are wary and distrustful of telephone calls become complacent and end up getting victimized by scammers on the internet. I mean, you can trust everything on the internet right?
7 - Extroverted and Agreeable people
People who are open, talkative, optimistic and agreeable are way more likely to become victims than their counterparts who are way, suspicious, pessimistic and introverted.
8 – In debt
Marilyn states that people in debt are more likely to be approached and fall for debt consolidation scams and other types of fraud in the guise o helping them get out of debt. which leads logically to number 9
9 – Desperate people.
People in debt are often very desperate and grasping at straws to find a way out of debt. Scammers also often prey on people who are desperate as a result of natural disasters, illness and as mentioned before, loneliness.
10 – Being Human
Yep, if you fall into the category of a human being, which I’m guessing that you do, than you most likely are vulnerable in one way or another. We all have our beliefs, and blind spots.
So now let’s take a quick look at the top 10 telephone scams to watch out for, according to Susan Ladika in her article,
Top 10 phone scams to watch out for on creditcards.com.
No 1 is the credit card reductions scam.
This is the most prevalent scam out there according to a 2014 report by Pindrop Security. Almost everybody carries some kind of credit card debt. You get a phone call promising to reduce the rates on your credit cards. All you have to do is pay a and upfront fee and provide the caller with your personal information, most likely including your credit card numbers, social security number, financial accounts and who knows what else. In return you end up losing hundreds to thousands of dollars and become a victim of identity theft.
No. 2. Home security systems
In this one you get a call promising you a free security system. They may provide a list of all the break-in and robberies in your area. This may sound too good to be true. Well, so far it may be true, but beware, after signing on the bottom line you will soon get the enormous bill for the monitoring fees. And those bills will be coming each month for years.
No. 3. Spam text messages
In this scam you get a text message on your smart phone informing that you have won a prize and all you have to do is call a number or go to a website. What they don’t say is that that the call is from identity thieves who want to gain your personal information and possible to surreptitiously place malware on your computer to gain access to your information.
No. 4. Fake Free cruises
Like number 3, in this one you also typically get a text message informing you that you are the winner of a free cruise. All you have to do is pay them a small fee and taxes, for which they want you to use your credit card. Aloha.
No. 5. Bogus Government grants
In this one, an official sounding person calls and tells you that you are the happy winner of a huge government grant, just for being a good guy or gal. Doesn’t sound fishy at all to me. All you have to do is provide your credit card or bank information to pay that small processing fee. For the record.
No. 6. Microsoft tech support
Ah..yes, this is the one that I always seem to get as mentioned at the beginning of this podcast. Somebody, with an Indian accent, I’ve had both men and women call me, pretends that they are from Microsoft tech support or something related and then have you go through some gyrations with your computer to convince you that your computer is infected with a virus that will spread and kill your computer and anything else with a 20 mile radius. Don’t fall for it. I LOVE to string them along and waste their time by playing along and pretending that I’m a total computer illiterate. It’s pretty funny sometimes.
No. 7. Auto insurance ID thieves
This again is a variation on the same theme where the caller tells you that you are eligible for a lower rate of car insurance and then tries to get your personal information. Again, it’s another scam at trying to gain you personal information for identity thievery.
No. 8. Payday loans
The caller is able to obtain your number from your application for a payday loan, which on it’s own, isn’t a good idea, but the caller claims to be a debt collector demanding payment and a late fee. If you don’t pay them they may threaten you with arrest or worse.
No. 9. IRS scam
This is a scam that has reached epidemic proportions. The caller claims to be from the IRS and demands immediate payment on taxes and penalties, usually with a prepaid card, wire transfer or credit card. Sounds fishy huh? It is.
No. 10. Bank scams
Another variation on a theme, but this time the caller claims to be from your bank and informs you that your accounts or credit card has been frozen, locked, caput, and you need to provide account verification to have them released to your custody.
So what you can do to protect yourself? Here are some solid tips.
- I know it’s like fingernails on a blackboard for many boomers and seniors but one great way to avoid phone scams of any kind is to stop automatically answering the phone. If you don’t recognize the number on caller ID then let it go to the answering machine. If you don’t have an answering machine than it’s a great idea to get one. If the call is really important or from somebody that you know than they will leave a message.
- Trust your instincts. If something doesn’t feel right than it probably isn’t.
- If it sounds too good to be true…it ain’t true.
- If somebody claims to be from your bank, credit card company or some other official sounding source then contact your company independently, either by phone or by going to their actual website. Don’t trust any information that people provide to you over the phone.
- If you feel yourself getting emotionally upset than that itself is a sign that someone is trying to scam you. Scammers try to instill fear into their victims. Hang up, take a break and then check on your own to make sure that all is well.
- If you think that you’re talking to a scammer than the best thing is to just hang up.
- and me, I rarely answer the phone unless I recognize the number but on those rare occasions when I do get a scammer I love to play along with them. Making a call from India or another country is expensive and so I love to do my best golly gosh oh gee whiz, slackjaw jim impersonation and just keep them on the line while playing with their heads. I know, it’s childish and not very evolved but I sure do enjoy it.
- a great resource to check on scams is the AARP’s Fraud Watch network. It has a lot of up-to-date valuable information on scams of all types.
- Another good source is the Fraud Watch State map within the AARP website. It has links to law enforcement alerts and notices about scams in your state. If your hip to the existing scams than you’ll know them when you hear them.
- If you do get a call from a scammer than report it to the AARP Foundation Fraud Watch Helpline at 877 908-3360.
- I’ll provide a link to this and other great sources for information in the shownotes to this episode located at essentialboomer.guide/scams
- Get inoculated: In “The 10 Golden Rules of Scam Prevention” Money Talks News founder Stacy Johnson outlines tip-offs to cons and scams.
- AARP’s Fraud Watch Network is a good source for people of all ages to learn about new scams and find out how to spot them and to stay safe.
- The Fraud Watch state map links to law enforcement alerts and notices about scams in your state.
- Report fraud to the AARP Foundation Fraud Watch Helpline: 877-908-3360.
In episode 45 I have a fascinating conversation with Cory Kidd PhD, who shares his story of creating Mabu, the amazing robotic health care companion who is making friends everywhere.
Cory is the founder and CEO of Catalia Health, a healthcare technology company focused on delivering effective behavioral change. Cory is a serial entrepreneur who has been working in healthcare technology for nearly two decades.He received his M.S. and Ph.D at the MIT Media Lab in human-robot interaction and he received his Bachelor of Science in Computer Science at the Georgia institute of technology.
Cory answers the following questions:
- How did you come to create Catalia health and Mabu?
- Why Mabu? How did you come up with that name?
- What can Mabu can do?
- How does Mabu learn and process information?
- What kind of information can she provide a patient?
- Is there any way to communicate with Mabu if you are away from home?
- Does Mabu always take on a female persona and if so, why?
- Does Mabu speak any foreign languages?
- So patients are sharing a lot of personal and confidential information to Mabu. What happens to the information obtained by Mabu? Is it safe?
- How have users responded to living with Mabu?
- What has been your biggest surprise from people interacting with Mabu?
- How much does Mabu costs and how can somebody get one?
- Do you have any active studies going on with Mabu? If so, how can somebody interested sign up?
- What do you see as the future for Mabu and artificial intelligence in medicine and patient care?
- Where can people go to get more information and to contact you?
Resources Mentioned by Dr. Kidd:
Autom - Cory's research project at MIT
Catalia Health - Cory Kidd is the founder and CEO of Catalia Health, which is developing Mabu.
CLICK HERE to see the video of how Mabu works
CLICK HERE to contact Cory Kidd, PhD
How to Subscribe and leave a review for The Essential Boomer podcast
I really appreciate your interest and support. Subscribing and leaving a review for my podcast is by far the best way to get it seen by more people. CLICK HERE to subscribe and/or to leave a review to THE ESSENTIAL BOOMER podcast on iTunes.
Thank you so much!
Jim Jensen
In episode 45 I have a conversation with registered dietitian, Anne Kolker, who has worked with Kaiser Permanente since 2008. Anne is one very busy lady. She facilitates healthy weight and behavioral change classes, works one on one with teens, children and families with nutritional counseling, presents nutrition seminars to a variety of companies, teaches online classes using Webex and coordinates employee wellness events.
Anne also writes nutrition articles for Nourish Interactive, a web based company that supports parents by providing them with useful information to help them improve their families’ health and educating children about the importance of nutrition and exercise. On top of all that she’s the mother of 3 children.
So obviously, Anne knows a thing or two about diets, weight loss and nutrition.
In the interview Anne discusses the following topics:
- The biggest misconceptions that people have about nutrition
- The foods that have the most positive affect on our health
- The foods that we should avoid
- The many diet fads over the years and what approach she recommends for weight loss that is safe, healthy, and sustainable
- How our eating behaviors affect our diet and health and what are the best ways to improve them
- the health benefits of alcohol, particularly beer and wine, my favorites
- The safety and effectiveness of the ketone, or ketonic diet
- The veracity of the alkaline diet
- What Anne’s own personal diet looks like
- Nutritional and dietary resources that she recommends
-
Advice for maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle
CLICK HERE to email Anne
CLICK HERE to go to the Academy of Dietetics and Nutrition
CLICK HERE to go to the Mayo Clinic Nutrition & Healthy Eating
CLICK HERE to purchase Date of Slim, James O. Hills latest book
CLICK HERE to go to Kaiser Permanente Healthy Eating
CLICK HERE to go to Anne's Healthy Eating, Active Living, for Kids & Adults
In episode 44, I have a conversation with Dating Coach, Tedx speaker AND the host of last first date radio, Sandy Weiner. You may remember her from episode 24 when she shared with us boomers the low-down on how to find love after 50… or maybe you’ll remember that steamy episode 35 where she told us how to have great sex after 50 and beyond.
In this episode, Sandy shares with us the do’s and don’ts on how to make your valentine’s day special…or at the very least tolerable.
In this episode Sandy answers the following questions:
• Valentine’s day, it seems like we either love it or hate it. Why is it that so many of us have such a hard time with this holiday?
• What are the common mistakes that many of us (mostly guys) make for Valentine’s Day?
• The way we handle Valentine’s Day evolves as our relationships change. Couples just starting out face more unknowns and pressure than those of us who have been together for longer periods. What advice do you have for those just starting out as a dating couple?
• I know it’s very important to keep the fire and romance in our relationships and it’s very easy to become complacent and predictable with our romantic overtures, especially on Valentine’s Day. What advice do you have on how to keep the day special for long term couples?
• Some of us are all alone and have to deal with friends, and the media flooding us with hallmark holiday of love and roses. This can be very depressing. What’s the best way to deal with Valentine’s Day if you’re all alone?
• Do you have any final advice for us boomers on how to make the most of Valentine’s Day and better yet, how to keep that romance going for the other 364 days of the year?
• What is the latest happenings on the Last First Date?
CLICK HERE to contact Sandy Weiner
CLICK HERE to go to the Last first Date website devoted to empowering women over 40 to achieve healthy, lasting, loving relationships.
CLICK HERE to go to The Good Man Project
CLICK HERE to go to the Better after 50 website
CLICK HERE to go to episode 25 HOW TO FIND LOVE AFTER 50 with Sandy Weiner
CLICK HERE to go to episode 25 HOW TO HAVE GREAT SEX AT 50, 60 AND BEYOND with Sandy Weiner
Click Here to join The Essential Boomer Private Facebook Group.
In episode 43, Hope Arnold talks about her unique patient assistance services and how you can significantly increase your odds of having a successful surgery and recovery. Hope is a personal assistant who specializes in helping people who are having surgery. She provides "on the ground support" before and after their procedures.
So Heads up boomers, this is valuable information for all of us
Hope answers the following questions:
- Tell us the story of how you became a personal assistant for people having surgery?
- Tell us about the patient services that you provide and why they are so important?
- How are you different from a patient advocate?
- Do you find that hospitals and their staffs are supportive of your services?
- Do you provide any type of service for people in emergency room situations?
- How do you charge for your services?
- Are your services covered by any kind of insurance like Medicare?
- Do you have any personal stories that you can share about working with your patients that demonstrate the importance of having a personal assistant for surgery?
- What do you see as the future of patient assistance?
- Do you have any parting advice for us boomers and our families facing surgery?
Click Here to go to Hope Assistance, Hope Arnold's website
Click Here to Contact Hope Arnold
Click Here to Email Jim Jensen
Jim Jensen has an illuminating conversation with Amanda Reiman PhD, MSW, of The Drug Policy Alliance, where she shares the truth about medical marijuana.
Amanda is Manager of Marijuana Law and Policy at the Drug Policy Alliance, which is the nation's leading organization promoting drug policies that are grounded in science, compassion, health and human rights.
Amanda works to develop the Drug Policy Alliance’s marijuana reform work as it relates to litigation, legislative and initiative drafting, campaign strategy, policy advocacy, media relations, fundraising, and public education in the local, state, federal, and international jurisdictions in which the Drug Policy Alliance is active.
Amanda joined the Drug Policy Alliance in 2012 after working as director of research and patient services for the Berkeley Patients Group, a renowned medical marijuana dispensary. She has conducted many studies on medical marijuana dispensaries, patients and the use of marijuana as a treatment for addiction and regularly presents her research at the conferences of the American Public Health Association, American Psychiatric Association, International Cannabinoid Research Society and the Harm Reduction Coalition. When it comes to medicinal marijuana, she knows what she’s talking about.
Amanda discusses the following topics:
• Her work with the Drug Policy Alliance
• How she become interested in medicinal marijuana
• The recent changes in federal policy and how it affects the medical marijuana industry
• Marijuana as a schedule 1 drug
• The social and economic effects of legalizing recreational marijuana in 4 states
• The medicinal components of marijuana
• The urban myth of the two most well-known strains of marijuana – Sativa and Indica
• How marijuana affects the body and the mind
• The dangers of marijuana
• The present state of marijuana research for medicinal purposes
• Her experiences with how the use of medicinal marijuana has helped her and others with chronic conditions
• The different ways that marijuana can be consumed
• The biggest misconceptions that people have about marijuana
• Advice for somebody who may benefit from medicinal marijuana but is having a hard time resolving deep-seated biases
• Where people can go for more information on medicinal marijuana and its potential benefits
Resources Mentioned
Click Here to go to The Drug Policy Alliance
Click Here to go to NORML (The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws)
Click Here to go to Americans for Safe Access
Click Here to Email Amanda Reiman PhD MSW
Click Here to Email Jim Jensen
In Episode 41 I share 16 excellent online resources where you can obtain quality trusted information on any health topic that you can think of from Medicare to foot fungus. These are the best, hand-picked resources that I love, use and can stand behind.
CLICK HERE for the PDF Checklist of the best online health & medical resources PLUS a bonus of 17 more great health resources.
Medicare Resources
The best jumping off site for obtaining the latest on Medicare is medicare.gov, which is the official us government website. It really does provides a wealth of information and tools for finding doctors, providers, hospitals, plans and suppliers. You can access all of your online forms including those for replacing Medicare cards, changes of address and of course applying for a particular program.
Be sure to check out the Senior Advisors for Medicare and Medicaid website, SAMM for short, which is the brainchild of Diane Daniels, the national authority on Medicare, an author, podcaster, a Medicare consultant and a past guest on the essential boomer. Diane has over 10 years of health care experience and has created a community to provide the latest essential Medicare information.
This is one my favorite resources for keeping up on the latest changes as well as a plethora of tips and valuable information that is very important for keeping you informed and up to date on your Medicare. Be sure to check out the free videos on Medicare. Do you still have questions regarding Medicare? Just shoot her an email to schedule a free consultation?
Click Here for episode 25: Medicare – What You Need to Know Now – A Conversation With Diane Daniels
Click Here for episode 39: The Big Changes to Medicare in 2016 with Diane Daniels
Another great resource is the Medicare Q&A tool located on the American Association of Retired People AARP website. This is a searchable database containing everything that you ever wanted to know about Medicare. You can search using a question or you can peruse questions by categories.
The AARP site also has a very useful Medicare Summary Decoder that holds your hand through the process of figuring out what the hell your Medicare statement is all about. It can even help you to spot errors and even fraud on your Medicare account.
Private Health Insurance
The Henry J. Kaiser family Foundation Website
An excellent source for up-to-date information on Health Insurance is The Henry J. Kaiser Family foundation website. The foundation is dedicated to providing the latest non-biased information on health insurance and global health policy. The website is fascinating and very detailed. Check out the consumer resources where they have an excellent video explaining health insurance… a Marketplace Calculator, Health Insurance quiz and health reform FAQs.
healthinsurance.org contains a great set of tools for figuring out how much health insurance is going to cost you. You can obtain insurance quotes and therefore yes, they do sell insurance…so they have a horse in the race but whether you purchase through them or not, the site is a wealth of information on the present state of insurance.
Health Networking Resources
It can be very comforting and beneficial to communicate with other people who are dealing with the same health issues that you are. There are several excellent websites that provide this service. Some provide good old-fashioned message boards that make it very easy to exchange information online. Some of these also enable you to interact directly with health professionals, share and compare medical tests and to even provide valuable information that can be used in actual studies.
PatientsLikeMe.com is a free website where you can connect with other people from around the world who share your same health concerns. It was originally created in 2004 as a resource for people with ALS, Lou Gherigs disease, and has now expanded to cover patients with over 1200 health conditions. Patientslikeme has its own team of researchers from institutions such as Oxford University and Johns Hopkins University.
You can compare treatments, symptoms and experiences with other people just like you. It’s really very cool and informative. They also use the information on the site for research so you are really providing value to mankind via medical research. You can share as much or little information about yourself as you want to. You can meet people and join in on the conversations of others. This is really an excellent resource. Check it out.
Healthboards.com is another free membership site where you can access hundreds of message boards where people post questions and have discussions surrounding hundreds of specific issues. There is a great section of the site called Drug Talk where you can find a plethora of information and discussions covering a comprehensive list of drugs from a to z. You can search by drug names or by the conditions that they treat. You can even create your own blog on the site to share your own experiences and information.
Would you like to join “…the largest and most comprehensive network of people sharing their knowledge, experiences and support?” than join dailystrength.org. It’s an excellent resource for making friends, journaling, tracking goals, sharing photos and providing support for other members.
There are over 500 support groups covering many different conditions. In this excellent website you can access hundreds of discussion boards, obtain expert advice and even find treatment reviews. And here too, You have complete control over what kind of personal information you want to share. This is another excellent resource, check it out.
inspire.com is a valuable health resource for both patients AND care-givers. It covers hundreds of both common and rare conditions and has a very high level of user engagement. Their core principals state that “Inspire was created with the belief that patients and caregivers need a safe and secure place to support and connect with one another. We strive to be ethical and transparent, and we never forget that our community is built upon the trust of our members. We place the utmost value on this trust, and maintaining it is our highest priority.”
This is a free membership site which contains many communities, which are groups that focus on a particular health interest. You can participate in the groups and also one on one with friends that you trust. The interface is easy to navigate and like the others, you have complete control over the information that is shared.
Medical Information Websites
There are several websites that provide reliable, unbiased and trustworthy medical and health information covering just any and every topic that may pique your interest. Let’s take a closer look at a few of my favorites.
MayoClinic.org is an excellent resource for obtaining the latest and greatest medical information. It is owned by the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research and is produced by more than 3,300 physicians, scientists and researchers from the Mayo clinic. Even if you aren’t affiliated in any way with the hospital or school, you will still find this a very valuable resource. This site is very well organized and easy to use. You can drill down as deep as you want to on any particular topic. This site is set up for both the lay person and for medical professionals.
MedlinePlus is a website managed by the National Institute of Health. It boasts the world’s largest medical library and is visited often by both consumers and health professionals. There is extensive information on prescription and non-prescription drugs, health information from the media and something that I love, links to thousands of clinical trials. It also has a lot of health & surgery video, tutorials and even games and quizzes. It is updated daily and there are no product or company endorsements and no advertising on the site. It is very easy and intuitive to navigate the site. You’ll definitely want to bookmark this one.
webmd.com is great site starting off point for any kind of health related research. It is site whose editorial staff include a medical team of over 100 nationwide doctors and health experts. WebMD provides their users with credible information, supportive communities and in-depth references, which I really like. I especially like the webMD symptom checker where it walks you through the process of diagnosis better than many doctors.
American Association of Retired People - AARP
The AARP website, as mentioned earlier, is also a great source for health and medical information. It has the latest in-depth information on just about every conceivable topic that may be interested to you from Health conditions & treatments, health insurance, healthy living to drugs and supplements. It’s a wonderful resource. You can find an enormous amount of information, even if you’re not a member. If you join than you have access to member discounts on insurance, the award winning AARP magazine and discounts on many products and services.
Medical Research Resources
Are you interested in keeping on top of the latest in medical research? PubMed Central, The New England Journal of Medicine and The Jama Network are the answer to your prayers.
PubMed Central is a free digital archive of bio-medical and life sciences journal literature.
The New England Journal of Medicine publishes new medical research findings, review articles, and editorial opinion.
The Jama Network is the most widely circulated peer-reviewed medical journal in the world.
The AARP website, as mentioned earlier, is also a great source for health and medical information. It has the latest in-depth information on just about every conceivable topic that may be interested to you from Health conditions & treatments, health insurance, healthy living to drugs and supplements. It’s a wonderful resource. You can find an enormous amount of information, even if you’re not a member. If you join than you have access to member discounts on insurance, the award winning AARP magazine and discounts on many products and services.
Alternative and Holistic Medical Resources
Are you interested in obtaining some alternative viewpoints and information for your healthcare? In my experience you really have to tread lightly when entering the land of holistic medicine. There is a lot of pseudo-science lurking in the shadows, but there is also some good information to be found.
MedlinePlus has an excellent section on complementary and integrative medicine you should check out. What is integrative medicine? It is healing oriented medicine that includes the whole person, body, mind and spirit, including one’s lifestyle. This site provides a common-sense look at alternative medicines and provides some good guidelines for determining what may work for you.
The National Institute of Health and Human Services also has a website providing a ton of information on alternative and integrative health covering all the topics from A-Z and help with finding a practitioner.
You can also try the aforementioned medical sites such as WebMD and MayoClinic.org, each of which has tons of information covering alternative, holistic and complementary medicine.
Low Income Assistance
Are you, or someone you love, financially vulnerable and struggling to pay for medicine, insurance or food? If so, than benefitscheckup.org is a government sponsored website that you should definitely check out. Through interactive questions it helps you to identify benefit programs that may fit your particular situation. It is a free service of the National Council on Aging. You may be able to get financial assistance with medications, food, utilities, legal help, health care, housing, in-home services, taxes, transportation and employment training.
Needymeds.org is a wonderful non-profit organization dedicated to affordable healthcare for all. They maintain the needymeds.org website of free information on programs for people who cannot afford medications and healthcare. All of their information is available for free and without registration. Check out their website, it is packed with vital information and resources all focused on helping consumers obtain quality, low cost healthcare.
In Episode 30, I share the latest information on how to keep your brain sharp well into your senior years.
It was once thought that gradual and persistent mental and physical decline was the inevitable side effect of growing older. And, we were all taught that exercise could help to slow up the physical decline of our bodies, but our brain was beyond help. It was a lost cause. We now know that this is not the case at all.
In this episode I talk about:
- The usual effects of aging on the brain
- The concept of Neuroplasticity and its implications for maintaining brain health
- The major factors that affect brain health including water, nutrition, vitamins & supplements, sugar, salt, alcohol, coffee, prescription & non-prescription drugs, physical exercise and mental exercise.
The Mental Exercise Riddle
3 men go into a hotel for a room for the night. They go to the front desk where the clerk tells them that it will be $30 for one night. So each of the men paid $10 to the clerk and took their bags up to the room. After the 3 men left, the clerk realized that he forgot to give them a discount, which equaled $5 so he gave the bellboy 5 one dollar bills and told him to go upstairs and divide it among the 3 men in the room.
Well, the bellboy knew that there were only 3 men in the room and he was also not very honest so he stuffed $2 into his pocket and proceeded to go to the room and handed each man a $1 bill, making the total spent by each man, $9 instead of $10. So now 3 men x $9 each for the room equals $27 plus the $2 that the bellboy put in his pocket equals $29. What happened to the other dollar?
I will post the answer to this riddle in the show notes to Podcast #41.
For Episode 39, I’m very excited to bring back Diane Daniels. You may remember her from episode 25 where she gave us the low-down on the present state of Medicare.
Diane is a renowned authority on Medicare and is the founder of the service, Senior Advisors for Medicare & Medicaid. She is also the Author of The Medicare Survival Guide and the Host of the weekly podcast – Medicare Nation. Heads up boomers! This is important information that will affect you.
In this interview Diane talks about:
- Why and how to drop your Medicare Advantage Plan. If you are dissatisfied with your Medicare Advantage Plan, from January 1st to February 14th 2016 you can drop your Medicare Advantage Plan and go back on your regular Medicare Plan.
- Why the cost of your premium for Medicare Part B may be higher.
- How delaying your Social Security Benefits may cause you to pay higher rates in Medicare Part – B.
- Who really pays for people on Medicare and Medicaid?
- The changes to Medicare Part D, your prescription drug plan, and why it will cost you more.
- The irons that Diane has in the fire for 2016 and beyond.
Click Here to contact Diane Daniels
Click Here to buy The Medicare Survival Guide – 2015 Edition by Diane Daniels
Click Here to go to the Seniors Advisors for Medicare & Medicaid Website
Click Here to go to Senior Advisors for Medicare & Medicaid Facebook Page
Click Here to go to Diane’s Medicare Nation podcast
Click Here to go to the Government Medicare Website
Click Here to join The Essential Boomer Private Facebook Group.
Hello fellow boomers and happy 2016! I want to start of the new year by highlighting some of the big changes that occurred in 2015 to Social Security, Medicare and your IRAs that may have a direct effect on your healthcare and your pocketbook in 2016 and beyond. To do this I’m going to bring back some great guests from past shows to share their insights and expertise.
This week’s podcast, # 38, will feature a talk with Chris Stein & Jim Saulnier about some big changes that took place in 2015 to Social Security as well as Qualified charitable distributions or QCD’s and lastly about myRA’s and how they can be a great starter IRA for your grand kids.